In tomorrow's SocietyGuardian section

• The new minister for disabled people fails to understand that welfare cuts are really hurting. He must be on our side rather than against us, says Frances Ryan• With outsourcing contracts set to be broken up and past performance taken into account, small firms may finally be able to loosen big firms' stranglehold on privatised public services, writes Alison Benjamin• The Landmark Trust turns historic buildings into holiday lets. On Thursday, as part of the social tourism movement, it will give away holidays to low-income families and people needing respite. Rachel Williams reports• Social worker Jenni Randall and one of her early clients, David Akinsanya, say they are living proof of the importance of relationships for looked-after children•Clare Allan on the death of Lou Reed•Social prescriptions, from fishing to knitting groups, are helping patients back on to the road to recovery• For boards of trustees to work effectively their members should reflect the diversity of the communities they serve with more women, young people and people with disabilities, says Rushanara Ali

On the Guardian Professional Networks

Guardian professional header for Society daily Photograph: Graphic

• How to reduce the pressure on A&E departments• HS2: why is it still 'definitely maybe' when government has voted in favour, asks Alexandra Jones•Social care in England is still rooted in the poor law of the 19th century, writes Peter Beresford• The 2013 Open Government Partnership summit in London last week brought together more than 1,000 delegates from governments and civil society organisations around the world to focus on transparency and accountability. See a short video of the conference highlights • How to keep local housingpermanently affordable for communities

On my radar ...

• The living wage. Ed Miliband has spoken today about the cost of living crisis, declaring it has become the preeminent issue facing Britain. The Labour leader set out plans for employers to receive a tax rebate if they choose to pay a worker the living wage, which is now worth £7.65 an hour, £1.34 higher than the minimum wage. Andrew Sparrow is covering the speech and reactions to it on the Politics live blog. A Guardian editorial says that while one way of tackling cost of living issues is to bear down on prices, the other, harder project is to get more cash into people's pockets. It adds:

... the mere existence of a living wage illustrates the shortcomings of the statutory minimum wage. The former is an optional add-on for employers who can be embarrassed or inspired to pay fairly. In contrast, each year the low pay commission has to make fine judgments about what the other end of the market can bear as it sets the compulsory minimum wage. That's why, as median wages have fallen in value, so too has the minimum wage.If the recovery is to raise the have-nots as well as the have-yachts, its value must be restored.

Efforts to boost wages are not just good for the government and employees – they also benefit the wider economy, as people have more money to buy the goods and services businesses are selling. Tackling low pay and stagnating wages should be central to building a new economy in which the gains from growth are more fairly shared.

Andy Hull, executive member for finance and performance at the London borough of Islington, has written for the Guardian's Local Leaders Network about the authority's commitment to the living wage . Islington was accredited as the first living wage local authority in the UK, says Hull, when it secured the London living wage (currently £8.55 an hour) for all directly employed staff. He writes:

The living wage in Islington has benefited hundreds of employees, including security guards, grounds staff and school caterers, who have told us that they have been able to quit that second job, get some sleep and spend some time with their family. The results have also been good for employers, who have reported higher staff morale, improved rates of retention and lower rates of sickness and absence. In the end, it has to be good for our society that, by working, people can earn a living.

Save the Children has published new research which found that nearly two million children in lived in households where their parents or guardians earned less than the living wage last year. Published to coincide with Living Wage Week, Save the Children says the figure of 1.96 million children is up from 1.82 million the previous year. Atanu Roy blogs that the charity believes more children risk being pushed into poverty because work isn't paying enough.The Mirror reports that Tory backbenchers are urging David Cameron to support the living wage. It says some Tories fear they are being outflanked by Labour on the issue after Ed Miliband proposed tax breaks to firms that pay it. Adam Bienkov, writing for politics.co.uk, notes that Cameron said in a speech shortly before the last election that the living wage was "an idea whose time has come" and pledged to do far more to ensure that low paid workers were paid a fair wage. He adds:

This pledge has now been all but forgotten and Cameron has placed his party right at the forefront of defending poverty pay.It is mystifying that he has allowed this to happen. Ed Miliband's proposals to give tax rebates to companies paying the living wage should be fairly uncontroversial. Many business leaders have supported the idea and it was even reportedly under consideration by Downing Street just two months ago.Indeed, the policy is so uncontroversial that figures in the Labour party are concerned that it simply won't go far enough.

•Homecare. The Guardian Social Care Network is hosting an online discussion from 12.30 today on improving homecare for older and disabled people. The debate follows on from the publication of the results of a survey by the Guardian and the Department of Health exposing deep misgivings about the way care is delivered to people in their own homes. Panellists for the discussion include Norman Lamb, the minister for care and support; Jon Rouse, director general for social care, local government and care partnerships at the Department of Health; and Bridget Warr, chief executive of the United Kingdom Homecare Association.

Soaring energy bills will intensify the 'heat or eat' choices for tenants over the winter while stricter sanctions threaten their other benefits. It's still too soon for rent arrears solely from the bedroom tax to reach the level that will trigger eviction actions but that point is not far away for tenants deemed to have two spare bedrooms who are losing 25% of their housing benefit. The courts are already hearing cases involving tenants who were already behind with their rent for other reasons and mass actions have begun against people in council tax arrears.